North Carolina today awarded nearly $26 million from the state’s Stop-Gap Solutions program to connect 5,161 rural North Carolina homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions in 66 counties to high-speed broadband by the end of the year.
The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity administers the program, which uses federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to accelerate the expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure to eligible unserved and underserved households, businesses, community anchor institutions, and state facilities across North Carolina.
The program, which complements similar North Carolina programs, funds targeted broadband line extensions to reach individuals and small pockets of homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas.
Receiving awards this week were:
- Atlantic Telephone Membership Cooperative/FOCUS Broadband: $1,653,500 for 145 locations in Duplin and Pender counties
- Cherokee Cablevision, Inc.: $533,581 for 75 locations in Jackson and Swain counties
- Citizens Telephone Company/Comporium Communications: $4,017,302 for 344 locations in Transylvania County
- Connect Holding II, LLC/Brightspeed: $1,677,000 for 2,439 locations in Alamance, Beaufort, Bladen, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Edgecombe, Franklin, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Martin, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Rockingham, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, and Wilson counties
- ERC Broadband, LLC: $1,261,581 for 118 locations in Buncombe and Henderson counties
- Frontier Communications of the Carolinas, LLC: $3,524,952 for 147 locations in Buncombe, Durham, and Macon counties
- HarvestBeam Inc.: $413,260 for 95 locations in Craven and Pitt counties
- LREMC Technologies, LLC/RIVR Tech: $3,812,781 for 43 locations in Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties
- North State Communications Advanced Services, LLC/Lumos: $3,965,221 for 402 locations in Orange County
- Roanoke Connect Holdings, LLC/Fybe: $2,406,500 for 826 locations in Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, and Northampton counties
- Skyrunner, Inc.: $788,500 for 78 locations in Jackson County
- Star Telephone Membership Corp/Star Communications: $443,155 for 78 locations in Bladen and Sampson counties
- Wilkes Telephone Membership Corporation/RiverStreet Networks: $959,828.18 for 306 locations in Camden, Currituck, Stokes, and Wilkes counties
- Yadkin Valley Telephone Membership Corporation/Zirrus: $520,940 for 65 locations in Alexander, Forsyth, Iredell, Rowan, and Yadkin counites
“These broadband projects will ensure more families can soon access telehealth, students can complete their homework, businesses can compete in larger markets, and communities can thrive,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said in a prepared statement. “I am committed to improving broadband access across the state and making sure no community is left behind.”
The Stop-Gap Solution program was first announced in January.
Additional information about North Carolina broadband, including links to state funding resources, awards made, BEAD news, state specific Telecompetitor coverage, and more can be found on the Telecompetitor Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
